David Boreanaz answers your 'Bones' questions (or has a good time skirting them)

If you think Seeley Booth, David Boreanaz’s character on Bones, has been goofy this season, you should sit down with the actor after he’s been doing press all day and be his last interview — which we were yesterday. We had more than 200 reader questions submitted for Boreanaz, who also directs tonight’s episode, "The Bones That Foam" (Fox, 8 p.m. ET). Of course, he didn’t have time to answer all of them. But we got in as many as we could before we had to part ways. (NOTE: If you want an actor to give you spoilers on his show, which many of you did, you need him to be drinking something stronger than a Sprite. Sorry!)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: First of all, it’s so funny that you just let it slip that you and your wife are expecting a second child on Regis & Kelly, because we had a number of readers ask if you hoped to add to your family [which includes six-year-old son Jaden]. N2SEELEYBOOTH went as far as to say that you need a daughter.
DAVID BOREANAZ: It’s exciting. I think it’s probably gonna be a girl. Girl energy. I’m done. [Laughs] It’s all over. We’ll know soon.

When is the baby due?
Well, the stork will be flying in a northeasterly direction somewhere in September area.

Is that for Jaden? Does he think there’s a stork coming?
Jaden knows how it happens. I’m the one who’s like, "Here comes the stork!"

This is one of my favorite questions: GLAD DALLAS IS T.O. FREE says, "David, the episode of Angel where you stepped behind the camera to direct involved scenes in a strip club. This episode heads in that direction as well. Coincidence, or directorial input?"
That was total coincidence. I got nothing more to say on that matter. I’m not gettin’ in trouble. Next question. [Laughs]

I got to see a rough cut of the episode. How many takes for the lap dance?
You know what, the lap dance, how many takes did we do?… I don’t remember. [Laughs] I gotta get off the stripper questions.

I find it hard to believe that you wouldn’t remember a scene with Strawberry Lust. Or, "Miss Lust" as Booth calls her.
Was that her name? [Laughs] Next.

Fine. Why direct this episode? Did you have a pick?
I had no pick. I said to [creator Hart Hanson] "Just put me in the loop, and see what happens." It just came up.

But it has cars in it, which I know you’re into.
Ofcourse, it did. And a monkey. I suggested the monkey because two monthslater a woman got her eyes ripped off by a chimp. Now, I would wear agoalie mask while directing the monkey.

Did you really suggest the monkey though?
No.

LUC and RAVENU say that your buddy Christian Kane, now starring on TNT’s Leverage, has said in interviews that he’d love for you to helm an episode of that show. Will it happen?
There’s a possibility of that. It’s up to the Leverage people. I may be out on that, I don’t know. They haven’t gotten back to me.

What would you like to direct next?
I’dlike to do an independent film. But I’d enjoy anything. A cool actionpiece with a $200 million budget would be awesome. Cast myself andJohnny Depp as rivals. [Laughs]

Not that you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it.
No, none whatsoever. Definitely something that’s fast and furious.

Part V.
Part XIX. That’s like when I did The Crow. Crow IX. I don’t know which one it was, but I was the antichrist. I got married by Dennis Hopper to Tara Reid — enough said. [We both laugh.] It’s good that we can laugh about these things.

Of course, everyone is talking about the Booth-Brennan sex scene that Hart has promised us by the end of the season. ARELI wants to know how you’d direct it, if given the chance.
It depends on how it’s written. Really, for me, the stuff that’s in the foreground and the background has a lot to do with it. The environment would have to be pretty sultry. Streetcar comes to mind for some reason. Just really punctuate the setting and the environment not the act — because the act is what it is. "A nice dolly track down her shoulder and legs" — no.

 Have you seen a script for the scene?
No, I haven’t seen a script. I know the concept.

What can you tell us?
There’s gonna be a lot of decisions on Booth’s part leading up to that…. But it will be done very smart.

Obviously, a lot of fans want Booth and Bones together but are worried that it will mark the beginning of the end of the show. MARIEL wants to know what you’re telling the writers — how do you keep it from becoming a post-coital Moonlighting flop?
All right, let me just say one thing straight. [Leans in to speak directly into tape recorder.] Don’t worry about it. When it does actually happen, it’s not gonna be this post-Moonlighting thing. The show’s not gonna go bad. The relationship’s not gonna be messed up. You will enjoy it. And you will understand it. And I guarantee you it’s not gonna mess anything up. Slow down. Step away from the ledge, people. People on the Internet, step away from your computer keyboards right now. Go get a Nestle Quik drink. Strawberry preferably. Mix it up. Relax. Comfort food for all. [Laughs]

This is also a serious question.
Serious? I don’t do serious. Okay, I’m being serious. Seriously. Let’s be serious…. Seriously.

Multiple knitters from www.ravelry.com would like to know if you ever received the package of socks that they made for you. They say they called your agent and got your shoe size.
Knitted socks? I got them. They’re hand puppets for Jaden now. I really don’t know! I’ve gotten socks a lot so I’m sure I got them. But thank you, that’s very kind of you…. That’s crazy questions. [Laughs]

I had to ask. It meant a lot to them.
I know. I did get some socks. I thank you because I like socks. I’m a sock guy.

This is actually a serious question.
Oh, another serious question. Seriously serious.

It’s about the direction of the show. As SHERRY notes, it seems like Booth’s been exploring his silly side this season and that Sweets has taken over much of the psychological function Booth provided in the interrogation room. What’s the theory behind us seeing this goofier Booth and not necessarily the master interrogator from earlier seasons?
This season has really been character-driven, more so than the past, because they finally figured out what I was telling them from the beginning, that you should really have the characters drive it. It’s been about character and the development of relationship, which I think is a lot better. I mean, who wants to see Booth go in and scream and holler and get all pissy with some guy? Maybe that will happen in a few episodes to come, there’s a scene that we’re shooting now where he’ll get pretty intense in the interrogation room, but he uses his wits and instincts in a smarter way. I remember the first season, I’d just get all hyped up and throw people around.

I’ve been thinking about this since I saw the Castle premiere. Did you watch that?
The show that’s ripping us off?

I knew you were gonna go there.
Why not? People like to imitate greatness. [Laughs] Which is fine. You can do that.

But that premiere was very character-driven, to the point that it felt like they were beating you over the head. He’s unpredictable, he eats whipped cream out of the can — we get it. But it was okay because that’s what they’re setting the show up as. Whereas with Bones, there was more of a balance of character and procedure for three seasons so I created my own image of Booth. Then all of the sudden, I’m seeing him wear a beer helmet in his bath tub, and I’m like, my Booth doesn’t wear a beer helmet. Obviously, he’s your Booth and you can do with him what you want. But there’s gonna be that reaction — my Booth doesn’t do that…. Whose idea was the beer helmet?
[Laughs] It was written. I don’t f—in’ know…. Castle, that’s out. Give me a break. Are you kidding me? [Laughs]

You are so bad.
Although Nathan’s great on it. He’s a good guy, he’s a friend of mine. But come on, ABC, you’re trying to rip us off. I think they’re just upset that we smashed Ugly Betty on Thursday nights. They’re upset about that. Bring it. [Laughs] All right, let’s go on. I’m gettin’ in trouble.

ALIA asks another question I’d like to know the answer to: "What’s the deal with Teddy Parker in ‘Hero in the Hold’? Was he an actual ghost? A drug- or panic-induced hallucination? Or perhaps asymptom of [Booth's upcoming] ‘major heath crisis’?"
Maybe. Possibly. I think definitely a hallucination, a ghost, someone from his past that is communicating to him. And will that person communicate again to him? I hope so. I liked the actor a lot and the character was cool. I think that that will be one that may revisit me.

Okay, so why did Bones see him at the cemetery, too?
You’d have to ask Hart about it. Good question. I don’t know.

How do you not know???
What do you mean, how do I not know? I don’t know.

You really don’t know?
You’d have to ask Hart about it. I really don’t know.

Speaking of that Grave Digger episode. Were you happy with how it turned out? If I can… [Laughs]
Please.

You know I love the show. But like some fans, including ANNMARIE, I thought that Gormogon and the Grave Digger were really interesting villains that were wrapped up too quickly. 
[In mystery accent] Ah, but the Grave Digger may escape. She may come back.

Really?!
[In mystery accent] Yes. So don’t close the door on that one so soon.

How many seasons do you see Bones going?
I think the show will continue to go as long as the characters will grow. I don’t look down the line, I really don’t. Never have.

Will we get to meet Booth’s father this season?
We haven’t gone down that road. We only have six more episodes to shoot this season, and I’m thinking, Well, when are we gonna do that? So, I don’t know if that’s been put on hold. I have to talk to Hart about that. Maybe after this next script that we’re shooting, which is all, like Japanese. [Laughs] Japanese FBI comes over and I’m looking for [pronounces two Japanese names...or tries to].

Sounds like it will be good for the blooper reel.
It’s all blooped up.

 Anyone you’d want to see cast as your family? You mentioned before to me that you used to get into bars when you were in college by telling bouncers that you were Ted Danson’s son. He’s on Damages, which is on FX. All in the Fox family.
Oh yeah, that would be funny, huh? I love Damages. I want to do a part on Damages next season….

Come back to PopWatch tomorrow for our recap of "The Bones That Foam."